Chris Johnson impressive in Boston Celtics debut, but team collapses again down stretch, falls 93-86 to Miami Heat

MIAMI – When LeBron James missed a wide-open reverse dunk with less than four minutes left Tuesday night, it almost felt right. In a world owned by D-League call-up Chris Johnson, after all, there is no room for MVPs, two-time defending champions or reverse dunks by the best player in the world.

Johnson, making his Boston Celtics debut on a 10-day contract, then left a bounce pass to Kris Humphries for a power slam and the Celtics took a two-point lead, their first since the opening minutes. Everything was coming up Johnson, and the Miami Heat looked in serious trouble.

But James (29 points, eight rebounds) drove to the hoop, got fouled and hit two free throws to tie the game, Rajon Rondo missed a driving scoop shot, Ray Allen hit a fadeaway jump shot on the next possession, and Miami scored the final nine points.

Boston went scoreless over the final 3:08 and lost for the third straight time, 93-86 at AmericanAirlines Arena. But hey, at least we'll always have the time when Chris Johnson was terrific during his NBA debut, and people on Twitter started suggesting (jokingly, I think) that he deserved a max deal.

Notable talking points:

Avery Bradley's injury gives Chris Johnson an opportunity: Entering the game, the Celtics were already thin in the backcourt. Rajon Rondo's on a minutes restriction; Jerryd Bayless is hurt; Jordan Crawford, MarShon Brooks and Courtney Lee have been traded away; and Keith Bogans is getting paid to sit at home. Ironically, if Bogans had not argued about playing time and been excused from the team, he would have been needed.

But Bogans is not with the Celtics; D-League call-up Chris Johnson (11 points) is. Making his Celtics debut with 10:50 left in the second quarter when Avery Bradley sprained his right ankle, Johnson contributed positively almost immediately. He used his length to alter a Mario Chalmers runner, drilled two corner 3s, chased after an offensive rebound to keep it alive, and generally played with the hustle you'd expect from a guy playing for his livelihood.

And then the second half was even better. Johnson looked uncomfortable handling on pick-and-rolls, and missed a 3-pointer with about seven minutes left that would've put the Celtics ahead by one. But then he totally redeemed himself, scoring five straight points (an and-one and a second-chance layup) as the Celtics tied things at 82-all. He also dove on the floor to save one possession, which ended in a bucket, grabbed another offensive board, and kept working like a man with six days left to prove himself. Which is what he is.

Johnson can hit 3s and he's a shooting guard, two things the Celtics badly need. We'll see if that gives him a chance to stick after his current 10-day deal expires.

The Celtics will also sign former Marquette guard Vander Blue for 10 days, according to Adrian Wojnarowski, so Johnson should have a little bit of competition.

Rusty Rondo: One gets the chance Rondo has been waiting for a very long time to play the Heat, so it's too bad he still isn't 100 percent. He did some nice things, notching five assists, showcasing his normal control of the offense, and working for several deflections on the other side. But he also got blocked from behind by Chris Anderson, committed several sloppy turnovers, missed three critical free throws late in the fourth, could not keep up with Norris Cole on one play in transition, and finished 0-for-8 from the field, including a shanked 3-pointer on what was really Boston's last chance.

Working on a 25-minute restriction, Rondo's first six-minute stint was very bleh. By the time he checked out with 5:47 left, he was 0-for-3 shooting with no other positive stats to his name. He had missed a 3, a layup in the post, and a driving layup while trying to avoid LeBron James' weak-side help. The Celtics were 2-for-13 from the field and trailed, 14-7.

But he settled in for a little while after that, like the smart ones do. One third-quarter stretch was pretty fun, mostly because he guarded Ray Allen (aka Rondo's nemesis). Rondo stripped him on three consecutive possessions; the Heat kept it once, but the others resulted in turnovers.

The horrible, awful, no good, very bad first quarter: With 3.6 seconds left in the first quarter, the Celtics trailed 26-15. Regardless of what happened on the final possession, the period was going to be an unmitigated disaster. But they had the ball, and they could have converted on the last play to at least get a little momentum. Instead the Heat stole Boston's inbounds pass, which was a lob from Gerald Wallace, and Michael Beasley -- who had checked in with less than four seconds left on defense -- banked in a 3-pointer at the final buzzer.

Boston's first quarter was like having a bird drop its mess on your head while your girlfriend breaks up with you and your landlord turns off your electricity and a car drives through a puddle to splash you with gallons of water. The Celtics offense could not have been worse. They made six field goals and committed six turnovers while shooting an abominable 28.6 percent for the period. Beasley's desperation heave made it 29-15 entering the second.

Joel Anthony's homecoming: Coming home to Miami just a week after being traded from the Heat, the only team he'd ever known, Joel Anthony received a video tribute on the Jumbotron and nice standing ovation from the crowd. Anthony played for six-plus seasons in Miami, winning two championships, and is generally regarded as one of the NBA's good guys. So it was good to see him get a nice reception.

Additional notes: Brandon Bass (team-high 15 points) went down hard with seven minutes left in the fourth and stayed on the floor for about 30 seconds. But he got back on his feet and walked off the court under his own control; the Celtics said he was available to return, though he never did.

Going forward: The Celtics have little time to think about their third straight close loss. They travel to Washington to meet the Wizards on Wednesday. I assume I'll still have Chris Johnson fever then.